LOCAL manufacturers have joined calls today for financially hard-pressed councils to increase spending on tackling the growing backlog of maintenance of Britain's A-roads.

They also want to see government cash earmarked for motorway maintenance only extended to upgrading local road networks, which manufacturers' organisation EEF says is a key priority for firms.

Its call comes on the back of the annual local authority road maintenance survey by the Asphalt Industries Alliance showing the ‘one time catch up cost’ to bring England’s entire road network up to scratch now stands at £11.8 billion, against £8.5 billion in 2009.

Local authorities are responsible for around 84 per cent of A-roads across the UK.

EEF’s own recent survey showed that the state of local transport is rated by companies as the number one challenge by 38 per cent of firms and the body is urging local decision makers to tackle the issue to help boost business through better transport links.

The same survey showed manufacturers rate the local road network as their third highest priority for investment across all infrastructure networks, behind motorways and broadband, while companies said the condition of local roads had deteriorated the most across the infrastructure network in the past two years, with 35 per cent of manufacturers saying it had become worse.

EEF wants local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, recently empowered through devolution and future growth in business rates, to increase their spending and prioritise maintenance of the A-road network.

It says from 2020-21 any surplus in England’s Roads Fund should be diverted to newly created Mayors as a transport capital budget. EEF says the new Roads Fund, which is currently earmarked for just the motorway network, will have a £1billion surplus against budgeted spending.

Andy Tuscher, EEF Yorkshire region director, said: “Reliable and resilient local roads are a key enabler for more productive local economies and today’s figures show a damaged network with a repair cost that is still stubbornly high.

" The damage done in previous years to England’s road network means investment in planned maintenance must step up a gear now or risk costing more in the future.

“Local authorities and LEPs must focus their efforts on repairing the network as a down payment on business support for devolution. Government should also ensure the forecasted £1billion surplus in the Roads Fund in 2020/21 is given to new Mayors to provide the step change in investment needed to stop the crumbling of England’s A-Road network.”